Burst the Stigma Freeze Flash Mobs will be held in Springfield and Holyoke.

SPRINGFIELD — For two minutes Holyoke Mall and downtown Springfield will be filled with motionless bodies.

"Two minutes may not seem like a long time, but when you're holding a particular pose it can be," said Omar Irizarry, Senior Family Partner for Gandara Center's Child and Family Community Outreach Services program based in Springfield. The idea is to get people to stop and pay attention, he said.

Irizarry along with a group of young adults that form "YouthVoice" are coordinating two freeze flash mobs to bring attention to mental health issues facing young people.

"May is Mental Health Awareness Month. In the past the Department of Mental Health has done a large conference highlighting some of the issues facing youth and their families, but this year they decided to do something different," he said.

YouthVoice is one of six youth advisory groups statewide, supported by a “STAY Together” grant, or “Success for Transition Age Young Adults.” STAY partners with youth and young adults to involve culturally diverse youth in planning and engagement in services, explained Suzanne Bowles, Director of Public Relations for the program.

YouthVoice is part of Gandara Center’s Specialized Community Service Agency (S-CSA), one of 15 youth serving programs run by Gandara Center, each of which serves a priority youth population with critical behavioral, mental health, and residential supports.

"The idea is to get these young adults talking about their experiences with the programs. We want them to engage with us and tell us what we did well and what we could do better," Irizarry said.

Each of the six participants in the initiative has chosen different days and locations for the flash mobs, which consist of a large group of people standing motionless for a specific amount of time in order to bring attention to a particular cause.

The "Burst the Stigma," freeze flash mobs will be held at Holyoke Mall on May 9 at 5 p.m. and again on May 16 at 5 p.m. in downtown Springfield on Main Street.

There are several ways to get involved, either as a participant or simply as an observer.

"We certainly want people to join in and participate, but if they want to come and watch and also learn about some of the mental health issues facing our community and services available that’s great as well," Bowles said.

Those interested in joining the Flash Mob must sign up here or email Youth Coordinator, Kristine Rodriguez at krodriguez@gandaracenter.org.

During the event organizers will offer up information on Gandara's services as well as statistics on mental health issues young adults.

For instance, more than half of all adults with a mental health disorder were diagnosed in childhood. Less than half of those diagnosed received appropriate treatment.

"Our CSA focuses specifically on the Hispanic community although we do serve all populations," Bowles said. "We want people to have access to the services and to feel comfortable asking for help."

Gandara Center has been providing community based mental and behavioral health, residential, and addictions programs in the Pioneer Valley region for more than 35 years. It serves more than 7,500 families each year.

To be eligible for services, a child or young adult must have MassHealth and display serious emotional disturbances.

Sheree Greenwood, Senior Care Coordinator for CSA, said many young people do not know how or where to get services.

"We get a lot of feedback from insurance companies we work with and especially with transition age youth (18-21) they tend to utilize mental health services the least amount. The Department of Mental Health is focusing on increasing access to mental health services for this age group," she said.

She also said language can be a barrier for many families.

"Sometimes we have parents going into meetings at the school for their child and not understanding what is being said because English is not their first language. Even if they are trying hard to learn the language they may not get the nuances and could be missing important information," she said.

Greenwood said that almost all of the CSA staff speaks Spanish and can provide this additional support to families.

"Ultimately the goal is to make sure people know what the services are and how to get the services when they need them," she said.